Feisthamel-Edelberg Cottage
Why it's listed
Located on a pie-shaped lot in Saranac Lake's French Hill neighborhood, this two-and-one-half story shingled frame house was built around 1915 as a cure cottage for tuberculosis patients. It has a cross gable roof, a brick and concrete foundation, and Colonial Revival detailing. Its most notable feature is the two-story cure porch on the Neil Street front, with Doric columns below and paired sliding panels enclosing both levels. The upper porch is divided in half by a partition, a layout typical of commercial cottages that advertised private sleeping porches. Inside, the original stairway, pocket doors, butler's pantry, hardwood floors and green-stained pine woodwork remain. George Feisthamel occupied the house in 1915, and Sam and Mary Edelberg lived there from 1920 to 1940, though they reportedly never ran it as a cure cottage. The house is valued as a well-preserved example of Saranac Lake's health-resort architecture, with strong integrity of setting, materials and design.
Significance in brief: It is an intact example of the cure cottages built in Saranac Lake in the early twentieth century. Its original two-story sleeping porch, divided on the upper level, shows it was built as a private commercial sanatorium for tuberculosis patients. It also retains a high degree of integrity of design, materials and setting.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 92001420, listed November 6, 1992. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 11 Neil St., Saranac Lake |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | November 6, 1992 |
| Reference number | 92001420 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c.1915-c.1930 |
| Architectural style | Late 19th & 20th Century Revivals: Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Health/Medicine, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a single dwelling; the original two-story cure porch and many interior features survive. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | New York Central Railroad Adirondack Division Historic District |
| Coordinates | 44.32895, -74.13608 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 92001420.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5441580
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.